1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a revolving door with a plurality of door panels which in their operating position can be rotated around a central axis inside a cylindrical barrel wall that is adjacent to them on the outside, whereby the barrel wall has at least two interruptions to form at least one entrance and one exit, and the entrance and/or exit can be closed by means of a night surround that forms a component of the door panel.
In other words, a revolving door is comprised of a plurality of door panels, and at least one door panel may be used as a night surround or the like shutter for an entrance or exit that is being served by the revolving door.
2. Background Information
Night surrounds are used for the additional partitioning of revolving doors and are intended to prevent access to a portion of the revolving door between the entrance and the door panels when the revolving door is not in operation. The surrounds of the prior art proposed for this purpose are generally realized so that they run concentrically to a cylindrical wall.
British Patent Application 2 052 612 A discloses a surround device of the type described above, by means of which the inner entrance rather than the outer entrance can be blocked. The object of said British patent application is to prevent persons carrying weapons from entering the building. For this purpose, there is a detector which, when it detects weapons, stops the rotating panels of the revolving door in a position in which the armed person is locked between the rotating panels and a segment of the surrounding cylindrical wall. For this purpose, the inner exit can also be closed by a motor-driven wall segment that moves concentrically to the cylindrical wall. To block the partial segment of the revolving door between the entrance and the door panels, it is therefore necessary to have additional wall segments that can be moved concentrically to the cylindrical wall.
German Patent No. 33 39 997 C2 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,073, issued Dec. 10, 1985) also discloses a revolving door system in which door panels equipped with emergency escape doors have curved panels in the area next to the barrel wall that run concentrically to the barrel wall and are in contact against the inside of the barrel wall, whereby the length of said panels extends far enough over the curvature of the barrel wall so that, when the door panels are in the proper position, these panels can be used to close the entrance and/or the exit. It is apparent that this solution requires a great deal of construction work, and that some very heavy masses must be moved, especially during the operation of the door, and that in particular as a result of the diagonally opposite arrangement of the curved panelsxe2x80x94which results in a simultaneous closing of the entry and the exitxe2x80x94expensive precautions must be incorporated to make emergency escape possible.
The object of the invention, on a revolving door of the type described above, is to improve the location and configuration of a night surround, i.e. to make the night surround more economical while guaranteeing its reliable operation.
The invention teaches that this object can be accomplished as disclosed in features of the invention.
The invention teaches that, to achieve the night surround, it is not necessary to have concentrically movable night surround panels that can be moved concentrically to the barrel walls or curved panels that form components of the door panels and are constantly moved together with the door panels, but that after the operation of the revolving door has been ended, a door panel itself or parts of a plurality of door panels are moved out of the specified position they occupy during the operation of the revolving door and are used as a night surround. That means thatxe2x80x94apart from additional unlocking or locking mechanisms that may be required and one or more guide railsxe2x80x94no additional material or construction effort is necessary to provide a night surround. A door panel that is already present for use during normal operation therefore has a dual function, namely during operation, the function of the door panel, and when the revolving door panel is not in operation the function of the night surround.
It goes without saying that the night surround, with an appropriate configuration of the mechanical equipment used to rotate or move the door panel out of its specified operating position into the night surround position, need not necessarily be formed from a single door panel. For example, two segments of two neighboring door panels that can be united in the closing position to form the night surround can also be used to achieve the same purpose.
The dependent claims disclose additional characterizing features of the invention.
The invention also teaches that the door panel that forms the night surround panel is detachably connected in the vicinity of the central axis (axis of rotation) to said axis, to a neighboring door panel or to the ceiling and/or floor. structure, and can be coupled in a hinge (or the like mechanism affording pivotal movement) in an area of the barrel wall next to an entrance or exit. That means that to form the night surround, the door panel to be used for that purpose is moved into a position in which it is in contact by means of its closing edge with the barrel wall in the area of the barrel wall that is next to the entrance, so that in this area it can be locked with the ceiling or floor structure, for example, to prevent it from rotating. After the door panel has then been detached in the vicinity of the central axis, the door panel can be pivoted into the night surround position, and can also be locked with the floor and ceiling structure in the vicinity of its edge opposite the axis of rotation.
The invention further teaches that this configuration can be achieved particularly easily if the revolving door has a ceiling structure that rotates along with it, and on which is located a guide rail that guides the night surround panel, so that the free, rotating end of the door panel can be reliably guided in the ceiling structure. The detachable mounting of the door panel used as the night surround in the vicinity of the central axis can be configured in any desired manner. For example, the door panel that forms the night surround can be connected directly in the ceiling and floor structure or optionally to a neighboring door panel.
It is thereby not necessary for the door panel to be mounted directly in the central axis in terms of a geometric location, particularly if, as also taught by the invention, the width of the door panel that forms the night surround panel is greater than the radius of the cylindrical barrel wall. Such a configuration can be particularly desirable if the entrance or exit must not be less than a specified width, and this specified width must be covered by a single door panel that acts as the night surround panel.
In particular for a technical design in which the width of the night surround panel is greater than the radius of the cylindrical barrel wall and the revolving door is realized in the form of a three-panel door, the invention further teaches that one door panel forms the night surround panel and the other two door panels are realized in the form of a one-piece double panel.
This double panel, as also taught by the invention, advantageously has a bow-shaped curvature in the vicinity of the central axis, i.e. in the vicinity of the axis of rotation, whereby the door panel that forms the night surround is elongated so that it extends beyond the central axis and connects with the double panel in the vicinity of the curvature.
Because of the fact that with a ceiling structure which rotates with the door panel, the double panel is already connected to the ceiling structure, the door panel that functions as the night surround can be realized so that it rotates with respect to the double panelxe2x80x94which can be provided with emergency escape doors in the manner of the prior art.
As described above, to achieve the widest possible night closure, it may be advantageous to elongate the door panel that forms the night surround panel so that it extends beyond the central axis (axis of rotation).
In that case, the invention further teaches that the central axis (axis of rotation) intersects the door panel that forms the night surround, whereby the pivot bearing itself can be located on the night surround panel. In other words, the invention teaches that this pivot bearing can be elevated for pivoting into the night surround position.
Alternatively, however, as also taught by the invention, it is also possible with the same realization of the door panel that forms the night surround panelxe2x80x94i.e. in which the central axis of rotation intersects the night surround panel the pivot bearing can be located on an adjacent door panel, preferably on the above mentioned double panel. That means that to rotate the panel, a corresponding connecting rod lock or similar device can be elevated between the door panel that forms the night surround panel and the double panel.
The night surround panel can also be immobilized in the closed position in any desired manner. Thus, the invention further teaches that, assuming that the pivot point (or point or center of rotation) of the night surround panel is formed by a rotational bearing in the ceiling structure, all that is necessary to move the panel into the night surround position is to lock the night surround panel in the vicinity of its axis of rotation with the floor structure, and in the vicinity of its free-rotating end with the ceiling structure and the floor structure.
The door panel can be pivoted either manually or automatically. For an automatic pivoting into and out of the night surround position, the door panel can be moved by a drive mechanism.
The locking of the door panel in its base position or in the night surround position can be automated. For example, when the premises are to be closed, it is possible to move the revolving door into its base position and then to release the locking of the door panel. Then the door panel is moved into the night surround position and simultaneously relocked. When the premises are opened, the procedure is performed in reverse.
The above-discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d is used in this specification, the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cinventionsxe2x80x9d, that is, the plural of xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d. By stating xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d, the Applicant does not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that this application may include more than one patentably and nonobviously distinct invention. The Applicant hereby asserts that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.